Mismanagement of Windows XP migration costing taxpayers

Peter Dunne needs to
explain why millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money is
being used to prop up outdated and unsupported computer
systems across the public service - exposing some key
Ministries to increased security risks, Labour’s ICT
spokesperson Clare Curran says.

Labour has complained to
the Ombudsman following a refusal by Mr Dunne to respond to
Official Information Act requests and requests by a
journalist on the number of government agencies continuing
to run computers on the Microsoft Windows XP operating
system which is no longer officially supported by
Microsoft.

Microsoft, along with various security
agencies, has issued global alerts regarding the serious
cyber security risks facing organisations that remain on the
unsupported XP system. High fees are being charged for
extended service agreements.

“According to OIA
responses, at least 20 ministries and 14 district health
boards failed to migrate all of their computer terminals off
of Windows XP before Microsoft’s 8 April 2014 end of
support deadline,” Clare Curran says.

“At least 40,000
computer terminals remain on the obsolete XP operating
system, with individual agencies left to either shell out
taxpayer dollars to Microsoft to extend support, or shrug
their shoulders and hope for the best.

“They include
Police (nearly 10,000), Justice (5,584), Defence (73),
Corrections (259), and Ministry of Primary Industries
(1793). More than $1 million has already been paid out over
an unspecified time to continue support of nearly 20,000 DHB
computers still using XP.

“The Department of Internal
Affairs, through the Government Chief Information Officer,
is meant to show leadership on internal Government ICT
Policy, yet while every other agency has revealed their
corresponding figures without question Peter Dunne and the
Department of Internal Affairs continue to hide behind
national security provisions of the OIA and refuse to do
so.

“This government has known the exact date XP support
would expire for the last six years yet decided to let
individual agencies flounder and go it alone, wasting
millions in taxpayer funds and hiding the true cost,”
Clare Curran
said.

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